Alrighty! Sorry for being extremely late with this chapter! Running in and out of the hospital can delay the important stuff haha. enjoy the chapter ^_^

Chasing Them Away

In the distance of the city of New York the sun can be seen sitting over the buildings and rooftops. An old man watches from his apartment window. A loud banging sound could be heard from the background. He looks down to his hands, a gun in one hand and the other with a letter. The look of sadness covered his face entirely as the sun began to disappear. When the sun left the sky to leave only an array of colors behind. The man raised the gun to his head and screamed before pulling the trigger to end his life.

From afar two girls turn away before he pulled the trigger. It wasn't something either of them wanted to see while admiring the view. Another girl walks up to them slowly and signal them to follow her. The three walk into a living room full of pillows and sofas to sit plenty of people. Three teens can be seen sitting on separate couches and watching the television screen. A news reporter talks about dealing with those who have been turned. The girls sit down on the other empty seats watching the news as well.

The girl with short black hair got sick of the news and shut the TV off. The others just let out sounds of disappoint and anger at the girl. She waited for them to stop crying like children before talking to them. "Now that you children are finished. I think we need to make out a plan. We all have families and friends that we need to find quickly. So please introduce yourselves to everyone before we start with any type of plan making is done. My name is Aya Kugurugi and I am probably the smartest out of all you besides the doctor over there." She pointed over to the man in a labcoat signaling for him to go next.

He gets up from his seat, bows to the three he didn't know. "My name is Martinus Gratus but you can just call me Martin. I vill try to provide you all wiz ze perfect weapons to dispose of…vell…'Zem'." Martin sat back down and took out a vial of an abnormal looking liquid. The blonde girl in the room tried not to look at the man, as he was the same one from before.

The girl in pink jumped up from her seat and bounced up and down before introducing herself. "I'm Emma Rider! You all know me by now…but I should at least do this again. Sorry if I seem a little jumpy…that jump kinda got my heart going." The images of the small group jumping from one rooftop to another trying to get away from the horde that chased them to that point still played in her head.

Aya let out a laugh as the girl bounced up and down. She leaned her head a bit eyeing the mysterious man in the hood. He took the hint and stood up from the sofa he laid down on. "My name is Rhys Lone. Thank you all for the help with the…um…things." He laid back down before handing the introduction baton over to his partner.

The blonde stood up from the chair she sat in and kindly looked at everyone before introducing herself. "My name is Patricia Monroe. It's a pleasure…-Sigh- I can't do this anymore. I basically don't give a flying fuck about this anymore. I will stick with all of you until I get to a safe place but after that…well I just don't care." She sits back down getting dirty looks from the others. Rhys only rolled his eyes seeing as he had to deal with her before teaming up with the others.

The last person stood up from his seat and looked around at the other teens. He takes a bow before introducing himself "My name is Patrick Monroe. And it's a pleasure to meet all of you." The girls took notice of his stance and how polite the man was. The guys thought it was a bit overboard, but to each man his own.

Aya caught on to something so she stared at the young man and the blonde very closely. Emma watched on, placing a finger on her lip trying to think about what her friend might be thinking. Both girls came to the same conclusion before and pointed at the two.

"Are you two related?"

"Are you TWINS!"

Rhys and Martin both raised their eyebrows at the questions. "You do have similar names," Martin let out also scanning the two. Patrick glared at the blonde while she did the same to him. "It's a coincidence," they both let out at the same time.

Rhys decided to strip the attention away from the two "Maybe we should focus on the plot making."

The girls kept examining the two with curiosity as the men got up from their seats and looked over for any items. After a few minutes the chairs were rearranged into a circle around a table. All six of the teens sat there quietly, no one was comfortable at taking charge. Emma tossed a look at her old friend signaling for her to try the role. Aya sighed, "Ok so…first comes first. Anyone have any phone calls to make?"

All but Rhys raised their hands. The girl rolled her eyes before lifting a house phone from under the table. The first to pick up the phone was Patricia. She dialed a number and slowly moved the phone to her left ear. Each tone made the girls heartbeat faster and faster. Would someone pick up? Would that person be safe? Or would they be dying? She couldn't take the pressure. Just when she was about to hang up a soothing voice answers the call. It made the girl tear up to hear the voice she thought might have been killed.

"Helena…you're ok. I…thought you were gone…where's mother and father?" The tears began to fall down her cheeks. The voice replied which brought the girl a look of relief before she asked another question "Thank goodness. I am in the city right now Helena. I have a few friends that I am bringing to the mansion after some time getting through the infested city." The voice took about three minutes of the girl's time to reply to her statement. Patricia hung up the phone. The girl wiped away her tears and smiled to herself, the others felt happy to know that she wasn't a total bitch. She passed the phone next to Martin who sat next to her. He proudly took the phone before lightly touching the girl on her shoulder. It made the girl blush a bit.

Martin dialed a long number into the phone that raised the suspicion of all the others. They waited for him to say something or at least see if someone picked up the phone. "Fazer…Mozer. Yes…I see. How about…ok. I have partnered up wiz a couple of my classmates. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. I will call after I find it." He slides the phone across the table where Emma picked it up.

She begins to bounce on her seat. Martin and Patrick smile at the girl's upbeat attitude, Rhys on the other hand stared at her. He felt something every time his eyes wondered over to her but he couldn't make out what the feeling was. "Here we go, go…for sure, sure…calling my mother, mother…telling her about father, father." Aya grew a bit annoyed when the girl sang for a good five minutes waiting for her mother to pick up the phone. "MOMMY! Daddy told me that he is on his way to help you get to safety. Oh…REALLY? I will try to get to you…no…I'M GOING…father needs help. DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!...I'll be there by tomorrow. Sit tight…I won't be stupid to go out at night. I have Aya…yes. We made up…of course…she's my bestie." The remark about them being best friends made Aya redden a bit but it went away when the girl started to remember the past.

The girl happily handed it towards Patrick. Both their hands met which made them both blush. He took the phone and dialed a few different numbers into the phone for a while. Not one person had picked up the phone and it slowly took its toll on Patrick's mind. When all hope was lost someone answered the last number he dialed in. "Aunt Lillian…is everyone there? Oh thank goodness…listen I am with a group of people trying to get out of the city. I tried calling everyone and no one picked up. I see…then that means…oh…wow…but my parents…alright I will try to get to them. Goodbye."

Patrick handed the phone back to Aya. She was tempted to call a number but got sickened and slammed it on the table. The rest looked to other sides of the room ignoring her outburst. After a few seconds Aya broke out of her mood and grabbed everyone's attention. "Ok…report."

Patricia was first. "Yes. Well my Father and Mother are holding civilians inside our mansion upstate. If we can get a ride up there we will have shelter and a rescue copter waiting for us. But I was informed that the house may be emptied out by the time we get there." Aya took in the information and gestured for Martin to speak.

He took in a deep breath "Vell…my parents are doing just fine. But ze infestation is spreading quickly. I vill not be able to help my family. But there is a secret base hidden here in ze city. A file in ze base holds a key my fazer needs to figure what has happen to ze globe." The appointed leader knew about the base but decided to keep it to herself for now.

Emma stood up knowing that it was her turn to speak. "My mom is surrounded by a whole mob of 'Them'. The apartment is hard to get into as well as getting outside. I want to ask for permission to go on a rescue mission sir! My father is going to need back up." She sat back down and patted Patrick on the back as if tagging him in. He stood in his chair unlike his perky teammate.

"My family made it out of the city ok and are hiding upstate as well. But there are some of my cousins still inside the city I have to find. So I will need to withdrawal from the group if we cannot go searching for them." He smiled at the leader and Emma before ending the sentence.

Aya stood in her thinking pose to analyze the situation. Emma took that as advantage to take out her gun and polish it. The others waited patiently for the girl to open her eyes and reveal her plot. Rhys looked his bat over, Patrick took it upon himself to take out some snacks for group, and Patricia played around with her hair. Aya snapped out of her trance and cleared her throat.

"Alright-" she cut herself off when she noticed that Martin had been absent from the table. "Where did the doctor go?"

"Here I am" the young man jumped from kitchen to his seat holding a knife. The blonde next to him flinched as he sat next to her.

"Now that he's here I can continue. This is the plan. Patrick and Patricia have a place for us to stay. Judging by the looks of you two I'm certain that Patrick's destination is closer then Patricia's. So that will be our first stop after we exit the city limits. First we will change our direction backwards to the Bronx. That's where we will find the base known as Delta Federation…it's also the area in which we need to find Emma's mother and Father. Now, I calculated the idea of using the subway or vehicles to get into the borough a lost cause. The roads are too crowded and the dead are probably swarming the tunnels. This leaves us with only two options. One is to walk there…the second is for us to go by boat. The second option is less likely but the safest. Patrick…we will try to find your cousins as well. But right now we need to get over to the Bronx and secure the first two objectives. Any opinions?"

The small group of teenagers just looked at one another. They couldn't find any words to say. Rhys couldn't stand the quietness that filled the room "I think I know where to get a boat…but it will involve going down into the tunnels."

"Wunderbar! Then it's settled…into ze tunnels ve go." Martin took his axe and knife from the table and tossed them on the floor near a couch. He slammed on it, getting cozy; he shut his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep.

The others took his lead and went their separate ways. Patrick went outside, the balcony had a view of the city. The place seemed so quiet. For the city that never sleeps it seemed that the end of the world caused it to finally sleep. The dead were still walking around from what he could make out from high up. He can also make out other survivors running around trying to find shelter. The memories of what happened to him earlier returned in a flash.

Hours earlier…

"This isn't going to well now is it?" a brown haired teen said from behind Patrick. A girl swings an axe she found inside the museum. Patrick swung the Mace he scavenged from the museum, slamming the corpse aside. He cracked the skull of another one before it touched the girl. The dead began to swarm the small group of teens leaving no openings to run. Their stamina was high so it was not wearing them out. Patrick on the other hand was slowing down and tiring easily. The girl cuts the area clearing an opening, giving the group a chance to run for it. But the route they took leads them to a dead end with nowhere to go. This left them outnumbered and forced them to meet their fate against the dead. Patrick ran to the dead so he could protect his friends but tripped on a bag of trash. The girl and boy run ahead of him "Get back before you get yourself and us killed." The girl's words hurt his pride. His friend had sadness and disappointment in his eyes, he chased after the girl.

Patrick looked around hoping for something to help the others get out of the scenario they were stuck in. He spotted a fire escape and signaled the others to follow him while his friends were keeping the dead back. Each of the classmates used Patrick to reach the fire escape and climb to the top. It then came down to his two friends. Patrick yelled for them and pointed above him so they would get the idea. The three made room by killing a small number of the group marching towards them. Both of his friends made it to the fire escape with no problem. When they searched for Patrick he was still in the bottom fighting off the dead. He embraced his fate "Go! I will get out of here just fine. Now go!" But they ignored his cries. They jumped down from the fire escape and tackled the mob down below. But that put them right in the middle of the mob, it got them grabbed quick. "No…why?" Patrick watched in horror as his friends were tackled and pinned by the corpses.

He fought 'Them' with all his might. Trying to get to them before they were bitten or killed. "Damn it…if only you weren't such a worthless piece of shit we would have left," the girl lets out before getting bit in the neck.

It stung his pride yet again to hear those words and the fact that she was dying made things worse. "Babe…fuck!...Patrick…get the fuck out of here!" he too became overwhelmed and soon the two were being devoured. The screams of the two embedded itself into Patrick's mind. He swallowed the vomit that seeped up his throat and used the body of the corpses devouring his friends to climb to the fire escape. When he got to the top the rest of his classmates have disappeared. Leaving him alone to mourn the loss of his friends.

Tears fell from Patrick's eyes, he quickly rub them away. But more just kept falling down his cheeks. The voices of his fallen friends taunt him as he cries over their loss. "What's the matter Patrick! Sad cause you know you killed me and my girl?" his friends voice screamed from his head. He felt a hand gently land on his back; he had a feeling to whom it was. The girl in pink stepped to his side and smiled, they stood in silence watching the city. Patrick couldn't hide his tears for long and just let them fall hoping the girl wouldn't think less of him. Emma felt there was a reason to his sadness but he needed to tell her in his own way. So she just stood there and tried her best to respect his time. They looked at each other and back to the distance; oddly, Patrick felt better knowing she was there. She had a way of chasing away the voices that haunted him.

Inside the apartment Martin finished the story of how he met the two leading ladies before finding the two in the building. "And zat is how I met zem. So...vhat about you two? How did you meet?" the young man pointed at the blonde and hooded man. Patricia just cracked her neck lightly elbowing the teen next to her. He took the hint and spoke up "We met outside…and hid inside the building…the end."

Aya and Martin accepted the answer. Patricia pouted at the way they just let it go without much thought. "Oh no you don't! We had to listen to Frankenstein's bullshit story so you will listen to mine!"

I was in the middle of a photo shoot when a man burst into the room trying to attack the people around him. He took a bite of the security guards arm before being thrown out of the room. After a few minutes the security guard that was bit suddenly collapsed on the floor. Everyone went to check on him. But that was a bad idea since the damn thing popped up and chewed on one of the models face. Everyone screamed and focused their attention on the poor girl. Me on the other hand kept at a distance knowing full well it wasn't over. I tried to warn them so they won't get hurt. It was too late. The others attacked each other until it was just I and another model trying to get by the crazies. Luckily the other girl was caught instead of me. I ran as fast as I could down the stairs, trying to avoid all of the others that were killing each other.

I made it to the front of the building; I immediately noticed that the city was in chaos. The people around me were hectic and ate at each other. A scene straight out of a horror movie for sure.

There was a cop car nearby so I ran to find any kind of support. But when I got there I found the cops being chewed on. I threw up right then and there. Not my proudest moment in life but it happened. After I finished throwing up my lunch, I lifted up my head to look over the cop car. A shotgun was neatly placed in the back with a bag of ammo. With both items I lasted a while just running through the alleys and sidewalks. Blasting everything that looked dead to me. I'm certain that they were dead…I don't think I could handle killing an actual person. I kept running until I came to a stop at the school I left that morning. The school where I ran into that man over there, not a pleasant memory for me by the way. That's when someone stormed out of the building next to me. He was being followed by three of those things. My secretive teammate saw me and quickly turned around to dispose of the followers. He pummeled the fowl beasts in quick motions. I noticed that he took my hand and lead me towards the building we all met in. He looked into my eyes and with a sweet but concerned voice he asked, "Are you ok?"

The girl had the look of admiration in her face. "I've never felt so safe," she glowed a bit thinking about it.

All of the teens including, Patrick and Emma who have walked back in, stared at her in confusion. And in one quick motion they turned their attention to Rhys who blushed and tried to hide in his hoodie. They all laughed at the awkward scene. After some time they got used to each other enough to arrange sleeping spaces. They figured to change clothes and shower in the morning to be fresh when running for their lives. It's going to be a long day tomorrow. But tonight they are going to chase away the bad day with good dreams.

Sorry if this was short. But I figured that i had to upload something and I also figured that I would decrease the length so I can upload faster and add more chapters. Ok...so now I am going back to what I am guessing everyone has been waiting for. Thats right ^_^ the action will be coming back in the next chapters. And there won't be a peaceful moment for any of the groups for awhile...so enjoy the peace in this chapter. I will add humor in the future cause that was also a factor in HOTD...and I will try to add some lemony goodness as well since that too is missing...probably not...I'm not good at writing that stuff haha. Thank you for everything. Read, Review, and Reload your guns.